Piston ring



Oct 20, 1925- c. E. JOHNSON PISTON RING Filed May 19. 1924 2 Sheets-$heot J.

. lnuemov GhcwkesRJohnaon C. E. JOHNSON Oct. 20 1925' PISTON RING Filed May 19. 1,924 2 Sheets-Shack? mmw 4. Nlllli illff w Innemov Ghormsilflohnson Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

mural) STATES 1,s;ss,09z PATENT OFFICE.

3W3 E. J'OHNQON, F MUSKEGON, HIOHIGA N ASSIGNOR TO THE.PISTON RING QGMPANY, OF HUSKEQON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN v ns won Ema.

Application and m 19, 1924. Serial 110,714,258.

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. JoHNsoN,

' a. citizen of the United States of America;

residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lP'iston'R-ings; and I do hereby declare the foiiowing to be afull, clear, and exact de scription of the invention; such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to pistonrings andconcerned with certain novel improvements in the construction of pistonfring shown in m pending application for patent, Serial Number 701,245, filed March 24, 1924.. The present invention is directed to a novel construction of piston ring and'method oi producing the same, the ring produced being simple in the. matter of manufacturing and exceptionally effective in removing excess oil which may adhere to the inner walls or the engine cylinders in which a piston equipped with the rings reciprocates. The production of the ring is very economical, the same being produced in large quantities at low cost.

'For an understanding of. the invention whereby these desirable objects and pur- 0 poses, as Well as many others not stated at this time, are attained, reference may be had the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an under plan view of a piston ring, with parts broken away and shown in section, made in accordance with the inven- 'tion, the saw for cutting the slots through the ring being shown.

Fig.2 is an elevation of the-piston ring. Fig. 3 is a vertical section therethrough. I IFig. iis an enlarged vertical section thron h one side of the piston ring, and i 's ng the manner in which the slots stilt therein.

'5 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through a cylinder wall and adjacent of a piston and the piston ringcar ried in the ring groove thereof.

I Fig. 6 is a view similar to that shownin 1-, showing a slightly modified construction of piston ring and the mamier of makt'he, same. Fi '2' is an elevation, of the ring shown p I in Fig. 6.

F1 g; 8 IS a vertical section therethrough.

Fig. 9 is a view like that shown in Fig. 4 illustrating the manner in which the modifiedring is made, and

Fig.10 is a view like Fig. 5, showing the modified or different ring in a ring groove of a iston.

Q Li e reference characters refer to 'like parts in the different figures of the drawlngs.

The piston ring 1 as shown is rectangular in cross section and substantially circular in outline, havinga parting 2 at one side which normally opens a distance under the spring of the ring, the ring when-the parting is closed being. practically perfectly circular in outline. This type of ring is old and my invention is directed to additional features and constructions imposed thereon.

\Vith my invention rings of the type described are sawedtlu'ough from the outapart in the length of the ring. A metal cutting saw of circular form is used and I the sawis located at a relatively sharp angle to the vertical, the slot 3 cut extending upwardly and inwardly from the lower outer corner of the ring cross section to a point a short distance below the upper inner corner thereof, as shown in Fig. 4. By reason of the circular cutting saw and the circular form of the ring l-eurved away from the saw, the slots 3 at the outer sides of thering are longer than at the inner sides where the saw comes through, as indicated at 4, there being sections 5 nearly triangular in cross section between adjacent slot-s, as best shown in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 6. f

The slots are cut in' consecutive. order around the ring by the saw 6. The saw is disposed atan angle to the plane of the ring and as thus positioned, theslots 3 curve upwardly at each end from the mid-point of each slot at the outer-curved side of the ring. Preferably the ends of adjacent slots are spaced short distances apart, as shown 100 As theysaw cuts upwar ly and inwardly 165 from the lower outer. corner of the ring, a tangent portion is removed by the saw at the under side of the ring, as indicated at 7, it bein apparent" that the ringis thus cut back or a short distance directly below 1 side inward to make slots 3 which are spaced ,in a ring groove 8 around a piston 9. there A slot.

beingan opening 10 shown as one ot'a series of openingsjyi-rom the lower inner portion of the ring groove to the interior of the piston to serve as drainage openings for oil which is collected in the ring groove. The

piston is adapted to rcciprocatein a cylinder hounded by cylinder walls, as 11 with the ring 1 bearing against the inner walls of the cylinder. On the down stroke of the piston. oil which may be adhering to thecylindcr 'walls is scraped therefrom passing through the slots 3 to the ring grooves 8 and back of the rings carried by the piston. The tangent portion cut away at T furnishes a better opening for the passage of the oil to the slot 3 and ren-iovcs a portion of the piston ring below the slot for the better collection and scraping oi the oil from the cylinder walls. And'lhe scalloped t'orm oi the. slots 3 at their outer ends. as in 'my previous application for patent referred to.

provides not only a scraping but a shearing action which serves to completely reinovc excess of oil from the cylinder walls.

In'Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive. a second smaller saw is used with the slot cutting saw. This is shown at. (5 as lying directly against the slotting saw 6 and on the side thereofso that when a slot- 3 into play to remove an arcuate portion 7 from the lower edge of the ring below the The saw or cutter ti removes onl v a small portion of the metal and that at the thinnest edge thereof below each slot. This is desirable in order that rough edges shall not be present, particularly if the angle of the slots through the ring should'be changed so that said slots more nearly approach the horizontal. At the angle shown, the edges at the upper and lower sides of the slots are not rough or broken, but the invention is not'to be limited to any particular angle that the slotis to be out.

This construction operates in the sameinannor as described with reference to the construction illustrated in Figs 1 to 5 inclusive. In Fig. 10. the ring is shown seated in a ring groove 8 of a piston 9. the same as in Fig. the drainage openings 10 being positioned downwardly and inwardly at an angle to the horizontal. Both forms of the ring are very practical and etlicient and act to save'lubricating oil in internal combustion engines to a considerable degree, while the additional cost of manufacture over and above the plain snap ring is very small.

is cut. the saw ti comes The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered as comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

*I claim:

l. A piston ring of substantially circular outline having a'plnrality of slots cut therein from its outer curved to its inner curved side. said slots being cut upwardly andinwardly atsides of the ring. the ends of the slots being spaced short distances apart and said slots being cut at spaced apart points from the outer lower corners of the ring whereby portions of the metal are removed from the ring at the lower side thereof adjacent the outer curved side thereof.

2. A piston ring of substantially circular outline having a plurality of slots out there .in from its outer curved to its inner curved side. said slots being cut upwardly and inwardly at an angle to the upper and lower sides oi the ring. and said slots being cut 'l'ro'iu the lower outer corners of the ring whereby portions of the metal are removed from the ring at its lower side and adjacent theouter curved side thereof.

2). A piston ring of substantially circular outline having a plurality of slots cut therein from its'outer curved to its inner curved :-l(l0. said slots at the outer curved side of the ring being of scalloped form with end portions curved upwardly each way from their lower middle points. the middle points of the siiid scallops extending to the lower side of the ring.

L. A substantially circular piston ring having a slot theret-hrough with flat sides inclined to the parallel sides of the ring, the slot at its outer end extending partly into and removing a portion of the metal of the ring at the lower side and adjacent its outer curved side.

5. A substantially circular ring havinq a circun'iterentially extending series of slots therethrough with flat sides inclined to the parallel sides of the ring. said slots attheir outer ends extending partly into and removing portions of the metal of the ring at into and removing portions of the metal of.

the ring at the lower outer curved side.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

CHARLES E. JOHNSON.

side and adjacent its an angle to the upper and lower lllt) 

